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SALT LAKE CITY — Three more stories from the world of sports in today’s From Left Field.
- Poeltl has no problem sinking half-court shot The social media app Vine is dead and many flocked to Twitter to pay their respects to a social media service that once provided Tweeters with a plethora of entertaining six-second videos. In sports, Vine provided many classic highlights, bloopers or anything that happened in that quick of a time span.
While many mourned the loss of the once innovating, many also took to Twitter to share their favorite Vines over the past few years. Meanwhile, a little north of the border, the Toronto Raptors honored Vine by showing rookie center and former Utah Ute Jakob Poeltl casually draining a half-court shot.
Look at that range.
Poeltl made his official NBA debut on Wednesday, scoring 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting from the floor in 13 minutes of the Raptors’ season-opening 109-91 victory over Detroit. The former Ute was taken with the No. 9 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft after spending two seasons at Utah and becoming the Pac-12 Player of the Year for the 2015-16 season.
In addition to making his NBA debut, he also became the first Austria-born player in NBA history.
- Offensive lineman takes a reverse for a touchdown Everyone loves to see the underdog succeed, and that includes watching an offensive lineman score a touchdown. On Thursday, Pittsburgh offensive lineman Brian O’Neill didn’t just score a touchdown, he did so on a 5-yard reverse — his second touchdown of the season.
The score was huge too. His touchdown paired with a successful 2-point conversion tied the game against No. 25 Virginia Tech 29-29 in the fourth quarter. However, it wasn’t enough. Virginia Tech wound up thwarting the possible upset and beat Pittsburgh 39-36.
Regardless, the Panthers probably should hand the ball off to O’Neill more often in the red zone.
- Fan apologizes for rude gesture; says he was provoked Perhaps the most talked about moment from Philadelphia’s home opener Wednesday happened in the stands when a fan voiced his displeasure to Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook in the first quarter of the Thunder’s eventual 103-97 win over the 76ers.
The video was caught on camera and made the rounds all over social media, but since this is a family-oriented website, a link won’t be provided here. (Spoiler: The fan really thought Westbrook was No. 1).
On Thursday, the fan, identified as Richard Harkaway, spoke out about the incident.
In a statement to Philly.com, Harkaway said he was “provoked” by Westbrook, who he said called attention to his weight. He then reacted with his gesture.
"As a part-time comedian I realize that my words and actions are sometimes inappropriate," Harkaway said in the statement issued to Philly.com. "My action in response was clearly inexcusable and I am embarrassed. I sincerely apologize to my fellow Sixers fans, the Sixers organization, my colleagues and patients, and to Mr. Westbrook for my behavior."
Westbrook, after the game Wednesday, shrugged off the incident, noting that he didn’t want to put himself in a situation to be fined.
